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Sawaki Kodo powerful words

These words come from To You, a collection of thoughts from Sawaki Kodo you may find on line on Antaiji's website:

As a human being, whatever you do, you should do it in a way that can’t be repeated a second time. What can be repeated is best left to the robots.
Life doesn’t run on tracks.
Birds don’t sing in major or minor. Bodhidharma’s teaching doesn’t fit on lined paper.*
The buddha-dharma is wide and unlimited. When you try to hold it still, you’ve missed it. It isn’t dried cod, but a live fish. Living fish have no fixed form.
In the soldier’s handbook it says that in war you must be prepared for a thousand different possibilities. That doesn’t just go for war – there’s no rule book for life either. When you try to live your life according to a manual, you’re sure to fail.*
For a court case as well, it goes without saying that you have to be on your guard when everything runs according to the book.
The wild geese leave no traces,*
yet no matter where they fly, they never lose their way.*
There are no footprints on the way of the bird. It’s not the same as a steam engine that runs on tracks or an ox’s well-worn path.
Don’t we live life from moment to moment? How could we possibly take life, analyze it, systematize it and file it away?
However much you accomplish in this life, you can’t present any of it at the last judgement. You will die naked.
In the end, there will be nothing left for you to do besides let go.
Isn’t it evident that the greatest happiness consists in doing what you have to do?
You can’t depend on anything. The value of things changes. This insight is what motivated Shakyamuni to renounce his King’s title, to leave his wife and son and become a monk.

These words are inspired by one of the most neglected yet the most important chapter of Shobogenzo called Yui Butsu Yo Butsu , Buddhas alone, together with Buddha , which I will soon start to comment on. The ungraspable is the very essence and secret of our path, coming from nothing and going to nothing, we are a pure expression of freedom or this is not that depressing after all, nobodycan actually describe who we are, pin down what we are made of. The freedom of being nobody and going nowhere cannot be matched.

These words come from To You, a collection of thoughts from Sawaki Kodo you may find on line on Antaiji's website:

These words are inspired by one of the most neglected yet the most important chapter of Shobogenzo called Yui Butsu Yo Butsu , Buddhas alone, together with Buddha , which I will soon start to comment on. The ungraspable is the very essence and secret of our path, coming from nothing and going to nothing, we are a pure expression of freedom or this is not that depressing after all, nobodycan actually describe who we are, pin down what we are made of. The freedom of being nobody and going nowhere cannot be matched.

Gassho

Taigu

Thank you Taigu, this is wonderful ... I have not read anything from Sawaki Kobo, but looking forward to reading and hearing more commentary.

Gassho
Michael

RINDO SHINGEN
倫道 真現

As a trainee priest, please take any commentary by me on matters of the Dharma with a pinch of salt.

In a spring outside time, flowers bloom on a withered tree;
you ride a jade elephant backwards, chasing the winged dragon-deer;
now as you hide far beyond innumerable peaks--
the white moon, a cool breeze, the dawn of a fortunate day

Double espresso shots, indeed! Thank you for your commentary Taigu, and I look forward to more.

"Isn’t it evident that the greatest happiness consists in doing what you have to do? The freedom of being nobody and going nowhere cannot be matched."
I've been really thinking about this lately, and the thought that "today is my favorite day." It could be considered revolutionary in the Western world.

Yet, we do not run just anywhere we might wish in this Practice ... not into chaos or fruitless Paths or "do whatever you please"-ism.

As Dogen and Kodo knew, there is clarity and lack of clarity, Teachings to embody even as we do not leave them as formulae on a page.

Funny, this way of Practice-Enlightenment.

Even the geese who leave no traces know which way to point their beaks!

Gassho, Jundo

I am not familiar with Kodo's writings - but glancing at the web site he presents as quite a fiery, strong character.

What I find sad - and a little frustrating - is that these powerful words - stripped of their context - often appear as positive 'thoughts for the day' - alongside photos of puppies, kittens and bunnies, sunsets, oceans - etc. In a way - a kind of formulae - without much thought.

'Every day is a good day' - is not something I can take deep down to the marrow without wrestling with the words. My mind fills with massive contadictions - especially when I think of others in difficult circumstances.

The practice here - the teaching here - helps me to work through the contradictions - but it isn't easy.

I am not familiar with Kodo's writings - but glancing at the web site he presents as quite a fiery, strong character.

What I find sad - and a little frustrating - is that these powerful words - stripped of their context - often appear as positive 'thoughts for the day' - alongside photos of puppies, kittens and bunnies, sunsets, oceans - etc. In a way - a kind of formulae - without much thought.

'Every day is a good day' - is not something I can take deep down to the marrow without wrestling with the words. My mind fills with massive contadictions - especially when I think of others in difficult circumstances.

The practice here - the teaching here - helps me to work through the contradictions - but it isn't easy.

(PS, nothing against puppies, kittens and bunnies,etc )

Thank you for this introduction Taigu - and will keep reading.

Gassho

Willow

Hey Willow, hope things are getting better. My take is that life is a gift even with the pain and suffering and everything else. And you know what, we create most of the contradictions and difficult circumstances which leads to more pain and suffering. And understanding, fuhgetaboutit. From this perspective every day is a good day especially if you are breathing. And furthurmore Budhists do not have a monopoly on wisdom. Dogs and cats are pretty smart. Sorry if I got a little carried away.

The thoughts and training of Sawaki Kodo Roshi pop up in a number of Japanese teachers who have reached out to the West to spread the Dharma. Kosho Uchiyama Roshi and Shunryu Suzuki Roshi speak of him in their works, also. I get the impression that he traveled a fair amount within Japan and conducted sesshins at various temples....Antai-ji being one example. But, I had rarely actually read from Sawaki Kodo's own thoughts. Thank you Taigu for initiating this 'thread'
and Pontus for the link to Antai-ji.

Hey Willow, hope things are getting better. My take is that life is a gift even with the pain and suffering and everything else. And you know what, we create most of the contradictions and difficult circumstances which leads to more pain and suffering. And understanding, fuhgetaboutit. From this perspective every day is a good day especially if you are breathing. And furthurmore Budhists do not have a monopoly on wisdom. Dogs and cats are pretty smart. Sorry if I got a little carried away.

Hi Rich - I do agree - life is a precious gift. I would be lying to myself though if I said that I am always able to connect with every day being a good day. And I struggle even more to think of giving this as a response to anyone who is struggling either mentally or physically with a lot of pain. This is the 'contradiction' for me.

The way I figure it is that what might seem like a bad day,month - even years - can be the sowing of seeds of creativity - good things to bloom out of the darkness. A bad day may really be a good day in terms of learning empathy for others.

But another little voice in my head asks 'is this rationalizing'?

I have just asked my little cat (who is definately smarter than me) and she says I think too much

Hi Rich - I do agree - life is a precious gift. I would be lying to myself though if I said that I am always able to connect with every day being a good day. And I struggle even more to think of giving this as a response to anyone who is struggling either mentally or physically with a lot of pain. This is the 'contradiction' for me.

The way I figure it is that what might seem like a bad day,month - even years - can be the sowing of seeds of creativity - good things to bloom out of the darkness. A bad day may really be a good day in terms of learning empathy for others.

But another little voice in my head asks 'is this rationalizing'?

I have just asked my little cat (who is definately smarter than me) and she says I think too much

As Taigu reminds us, "everyday is a good day" is not some simple bumper sticker, but includes the ugly, the sad, even the most terrible of days.

A famous statement, thunderous, breaking through our beliefs that tomorrow will be great and yesterday was better, something not for the faint hearted, something for what has courage in us, not for the victim, the abused, the oppressed, the destitute, the jobless soul, the lonely one, the bored, the angry guy, the weeping eye... For all these guys that we can sometimes be, a statement that says that As it is, raw, complete and intense, it is just good. It is good and we may cry, shout, beg, giggle, kick, strike or fly way...It is bigger than us, bigger than anything we can think of.

As Taigu reminds us, "everyday is a good day" is not some simple bumper sticker, but includes the ugly, the sad, even the most terrible of days.
J

I really notice that saying this to myself, and about today being my favorite day, changes a lot of my negative circumstances around. I become a little more tolerant of the ugly and the sad, because I become grateful that I am living and experiencing. It's bumper-sticker-esque, and I can see where it is hard to swallow during difficult times, but sometimes it takes the edge off of things for me.